Echos in the Dark
by MissMasonSays
Summary: Harry goes missing and Ron and Hermione set out to find him, will they find him... alive?


Harry Potter and The Adamantine Room  
  
Chapter 1: Echoes in the Dark  
  
A/N: This is my friends, she's given it to me, I decided to leave the first chapter as is. considering its. uh REALLY long. I am down at the bottom in her shout outs! I was the beta reader and I did offer creativity. I just hope I'm creative enough to keep the story alive. -_-  
  
These struggling tides of life that seem  
  
In wayward, aimless course to tend,  
  
Are eddies of the mighty stream  
  
That rolls to its appointed end.  
  
* William Cullen Bryant  
  
"Come on, Hermione. It's been long enough."  
  
"Just a bit longer, Please Ron?" She heard a sigh escape him as she gripped the rails tighter, hoping he would let her stay.  
  
"Fine. But only a bit." She smiled and searched the skies again. She could remember the day, the exact moment she found out. It had affected her that much.  
  
***  
  
"Professor Dumbledore? Professor Binns told me you called for me?" She asked in a worried voice. She was almost never in trouble. Almost. She had barely opened the door, only her head sticking in, afraid to disturb him. She took a few steps into the circular study known as Dumbledore's office. He was sitting at his desk, bent over a bowl in front of him. It was full of some odd silverfish swirl.  
  
"Ahh, yes, Miss. Granger. Please, come sit." He gestured towards the chair, not looking up. She stepped fully in and walked up to his desk, trying to peer into the bowl, but didn't want to invade. She sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk- one of two.  
  
"Mr. Weasley will be here soon." He informed her. She looked up from her fidgety hands that were in her lap, confused.  
  
"Ron? What does this have to do with Ron?" 'What about Harry?' She wondered as she leaned forward to hear what the headmaster had to say next.  
  
"Oh, yes, Mr. Weasley will need to be informed as well; I do think this would be as big a matter for him as it would for you." He looked up at her a moment and she saw a bit of the sparkle in his eyes Harry had told her about.  
  
"Excuse me, Professor, but. about what?"  
  
"All in good time, Miss Granger, all in good time." Confused, she relaxed back in her chair. She gazed out the window, trying to distract her own worried thoughts from penetrating through.  
  
It was April. NEWTS and OWLS were coming soon. Of course it was sunny outside, and everyone was trying to be there. In a few minutes, she would be wishing she could be out there with Ron and Harry- free of stress and what was to come, but she couldn't be there. Important things were about to happen. A few minutes was all it took to change a destiny. A few minutes.  
  
The opening of a door shook her from her thoughts. She looked up at Dumbledore and saw him glance at the door over her shoulder. He smiled.  
  
"Ah, Mr. Weasley. About time you showed." His smile now seemed pasted, even though it stuck. He was getting older- Hermione could see it.  
  
"Sorry, Professor Snape was lecturing us about-" He began, folding a piece of yellow paper in two and walking towards the desk. He was trying desperately to get something off of his hand by wiping his arm on his robes over and over again, a scowl on his face and his brow furrowed. He sat down next to Hermione.  
  
"No need, Mr. Weasley, I think we all know how he can be." He pushed the bowl to the far right of his desk, on the very edge. Hermione hoped dearly it wouldn't fall and spill. The contents looked a lot like unicorns blood, if she remembered correctly-which she believed she did. She wrinkled her nose upon remembering why they had been in the forest that night, but Dumbledore's clearing of his throat interrupted her reveries.  
  
"There has been a. mishap." He said clearly. Hermione finally discovered what exactly was in that bowl. A pensieve.  
  
"It's about Harry." She looked up from the bowl.  
  
"Harry?" She asked meekly, wondering if she had heard right. Ever since Ron and Harry decided to avoid Professor Binns' classes, they hadn't seen much of each other until around noon, and then their classes mixed together.  
  
"Yes?" Ron urged him on, leaning forward in his own chair, while Hermione sank back. She was almost sure she didn't want to hear this. Almost.  
  
"Well. we. can't find him. We just can't seem to put a bloody finger on the boy!" He laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work. He looked much disoriented at that moment. Hermione gulped.  
  
"Uh.What did you say?" Dumbledore leaned towards her, across his desk and looked her in the eye.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger." Ron sucked in a lot of air in a very short amount of time. He sunk down low in his chair and held his head in his hands by his forehead. His elbows rested on the arms of the chair. His red hair was now beginning to stick to his head because of sweat. This was painful for them both.  
  
*Meanwhile* "Yes, Father?" Draco Malfoy stood crouched in his Slytherin bedroom dormitory.  
  
"Draco, I need you to keep this very secretive. I'm going to trust you with this because. well, I need your help," said the giant head in the fireplace next to Goyle's bed. Luckily, he had gotten Crabbe and Goyle to go distract the other members of their dorm; but for what: they didn't know.  
  
"Yes, Father." He nodded, trying not to smile. Finally, he was being let in his Father's inner circle.  
  
"Harry Potter. has gone missing. I need to find him for the Dark Lord. Can I count on you? To help, that is."  
  
"Of course, Father." He nodded again, trying his best to look solemn. His head whipped around the room, thinking he heard a bang on the door. Lucius' image heard it as well.  
  
"Until later, then," he announced, disappearing from sight. Draco stood, unlocked the door and went to his bed as Crabbe entered, Goyle not far behind.  
  
***  
  
Ron tapped Hermione on the shoulder, "Come on, 'Mione." She sighed.  
  
"Okay," She surrendered. She looked up at him, the moonlight casting an eerie, black shine on his usual fiery-red hair.  
  
"But- Ron?" She asked, turning her whole body."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you think he'll come back?"  
  
"I don't know, 'Mione, I don't know." She bit her lip and took a step forward, him taking up her hand, leading her to the Gryffindor Common Room. She glanced back over her shoulder at the Astronomy Tower that she loved so much. Little did she know, Draco was doing his own part to find Harry.  
  
He sat on his bed, the silverfish green curtain pulled to a tight close. He sat Indian style almost on top of his pillow. He was bent over a stack of parchment, his head in his right hand, a certain piece of paper in his left. His eyes were scanning over the scrolls. His eyes were scanning the particular one.  
  
"Auurgh!" He called out in anguish, throwing the parchment as hard as he could, not accomplishing much distance.  
  
"Having trouble, boy?" He jumped at the cold voice he knew was his fathers. Lucius slid his hand through the curtains. Draco ran his through his own hair, so silvery like the kind his father had. Draco took a deep breath as Lucius eyed him. Both their hair was glowing in the dull light that shined through the cold Hogwarts dungeons.  
  
Lucius held out his hand towards Draco, "Come." Draco looked at him skeptically.  
  
"You're kidding." Lucius sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
"What's this?" He asked, picking up the one Draco had thrown.  
  
"I'm trying to locate him!" He snarled. Lucius decided to ignore him.  
  
"It's too soon, Draco." Draco looked up at his name, "Give it time, he'll show." And with that, Lucius disappeared. (A/N: Not Dissaparated.)  
  
Two Days Later:  
  
Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room, reading a book about Ulrich the Oddball. She stirred slightly, but only just, when Ron came downstairs and sat down next to her. He stared at her until she lowered her book and asked him angrily, "What?!"  
  
"Sorry, I was just thinking."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Harry, Tests, you know, the average." She turned back to her book, but only for a minute. She bookmarked her spot and closed it, placing it on the table in front of the couch they were on. The hues of the fire made his hair glow more exuberant than ever and made Hermione's eyes shine with curiosity.  
  
She turned back to Ron and opened her mouth as a lock of hair fell into her face. She reached out to put it back in its place, but Ron was quicker. He leaned back against the couch, the tendril safely tucked behind her ear.  
  
'That was odd,' She thought. Ron acted as if nothing had happened.  
  
"So, uh." Hermione began.  
  
"Uh? Well, although 'uh' is a great word, 'uh' isn't going to find Harry, now is it?" Ron looked startled. He was almost never like this- and to Hermione, only once, and it wasn't even to her face.  
  
"I-" She began.  
  
"Sorry, 'Mione, I'm just. a little scared and worried for him I don't know. I just-"  
  
"Shh. I know. Me too." She consoled him. They stayed quiet for a while. Next time Hermione looked up. Ron had gotten considerably closer to her since his outburst. Before she could say anything about it, however, her mouth was closed by Ron's in a state of perfect bliss. He slid his arm around her, bringing her closer, but she pulled away, anyway. Ron pulled back, too, unaware of her reaction. It was startled.  
  
"Uh, I should. go. uh, chick on Parvati, she uh. didn't feel good- yeah." She managed to get out before jumping to her feet and rushing up to the girls' dorm.  
  
Ron sighed and let his head drop on the back of the couch.  
  
"Again with the 'uh's," he thought aloud, covering his face with his hands.  
  
*  
  
Hermione climbed halfway up the stairs and stopped. She backed against the wall and hit her head against the cold stone. She sighed, covering her face with her hands.  
  
"Again with the 'uh's," she criticized herself.  
  
****  
  
The next day, Hermione was early getting up. She decided to write in her journal about the night before. Her journal provided her something Parvati and the other Gryffindor girls could not: secrecy.  
  
When she finished scrawling in her book, she hopped from her seat, got dressed, and went down for breakfast. Ron wasn't downstairs yet, as she suspected, so she sat down in her normal spot. She flopped down next to Seamus, who was very busy with a full plate of eggs.  
  
"Well, someone's hungry." Hermione mumbled, placing a biscuit on her plate, and a spoon of eggs for herself.  
  
"Mm?" emitted from Seamus, which Hermione took as 'me?'. Since he pointed his fork at himself and looked at her, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Yes, Mm." She imitated with exaggerated eyebrows. She smiled and took a bite of her own eggs, keeping her eye on the door. She talked to Seamus for a while, about their muggle parents. It turns out his Dad was actually getting into his Mums magical powers.  
  
Next time she looked up, she met eyes with Ron. It didn't take long for him to avert his eyes. He ended up sitting down at the other end, with, oddly enough, Parvati. The girl looked up at Hermione and saw her worried look. Parvati shrugged and turned to talk to Ron. Hermione hoped she could get something out of him.  
  
**  
  
As Hermione spied Parvati getting up, she rushed to catch up to her, just remembering to call a 'bye to Seamus over her shoulder. She called out for Parvati as she exited the Great Hall, heading outside. Hermione decided to walk with her.  
  
"So, what did he say?"  
  
"He told me about what happened last night. I don't know why, I mean, I'm one of your friends; I'm obviously going to tell you about it, he's an idiot-"  
  
"Parvati!" She called, hitting her arm playfully, "don't be so mean. What'd he say about it?" She asked with earnest, turning a stone corner. She tried to block her eyes from the harsh sun that shone through the windows.  
  
"He was talking about how he wasn't sure how you felt and he was worried he'd screwed up your friendship. I think you should really talk to him. He sounded depressed about it, really." Parvati answered casually, as if it was as natural as saying Hello.  
  
"Aww! Oh now I feel terrible. Well, thanks a lot, Parvati. I guess I'll-"  
  
"Oh, just go," Parvati told her, used to Hermione's reactions to guys. Hermione smiled at her friend.  
  
"Thanks," she called, turning around and heading back to the Great Hall.  
  
**  
  
She sneaked up behind Ron, smiling giddily and trying her best not to giggle as she tapped him on the shoulder, watching his shaggy hair follow his every move. He had a bite of bacon in his mouth, so it was full. He was surprised to see her behind her. As soon as his eyes fell upon her, however, his face turned the shade of Gryffindor scarlet.  
  
"Can I- uh. talk to you for a second?" She asked, making a mental note to herself to lose the 'uh's.  
  
"Mm... I was just-" Hermione stepped back from him, wiping the bacon off her shirt that came from his mouth. Ron gulped.  
  
"Sorry." he looked down, obviously embarrassed.  
  
"No, come on." She held out a hand for him, which he took and she led him outside, back into the bright sunshine that caught their eyes off-guard. Ron shielded his eyes with his arm, as Hermione had earlier. Hermione took him to an old tree that was on a sort-of hill that was halfway between Hagrid's hut and the school. She plopped down against the tree, pulling Ron down with her. Her fingers were oddly cold on such a sunny day.  
  
"What?" Ron asked, peevishly.  
  
"Uh-" she scolded herself mentally again as she pulled herself into an Indian-legged sitting stance, "I mean. I wanted to talk to you. Parvati told me-"  
  
"Dammit! I knew I shouldn't have talked to her. Bloody gossip-queen." (A/N: Sorry for all those Parvati-lovers out there!) Hermione hit Ron's leg playfully.  
  
"Ron!"  
  
"What?!" He looked up at her, his brow furrowed, then immediately back down at the grass that was bright to match the sun. Hermione sighed.  
  
"If you wanted to know how I felt, why didn't you just. ask?" She hoped earnestly that he would look up and she would be able to see his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, 'Mione, I just, didn't know-"  
  
"Ron. you're my best friend. I would never let something stupid like that ruin what we have," she reassured him, sliding her hand on his knee and squeezing it. He looked up and smile.  
  
"Sorry, Hermione. So, how do you...?"  
  
"Feel? I- well, I," she took a deep breath, "I really liked it." She finished with a smile.  
  
"Really?" Ron's eyes twinkled. Hermione nodded.  
  
"So, we're ok now?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Yeah." Ron got up and took her hand, helping her up. He just forgot to let go. Hermione smiled as they walked up to the doors of Hogwarts. As Ron reached to open it up, it swung open anyway, showing Draco Malfoy standing in the threshold.  
  
"Well, well, well," Draco drawled, seeing that they were holding hands, even though Ron had tried desperately to let go before he would.  
  
"Shut it, Malfoy," Ron glowered.  
  
"Whatever you say, Mr. Granger." He smirked and walked through to outside, Crabbe and Goyle clicking their heals behind him.  
  
Hermione looked up at Ron and Ron looked down at her.  
  
"I-"  
  
"No, I know. I guess. maybe not so fast?"  
  
"Exactly." Ron smiled as they walked into the castle, side by side, but not holding hands.  
  
That night  
  
Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room again, reading her same book. Ron popped in through the portrait hole and ran up to the couch she was on. He was out of breath as he tried to get something out.  
  
"What? Spit it out, Ron," Hermione told him, placing her book down on her lap, holding her spot with her finger.  
  
"Harry. he. we. need.go. find.him." He breathed deeply, trying to get it all out as soon as he could.  
  
"Ron, what are you talking about? You aren't making any sense." Hermione told him, sitting up straighter in her seat.  
  
"Come- NOW! I'll explain on the way." He reached out and pulled her hand so hard she stood up. She dropped her book, and was about to say something but he covered them both in Harry's invisible cloak. He slid his hand around her back and spread his fingers out over her side, sending tingles down her spine. Not unwanted tingles, mind you. Just tingles.  
  
"Ro-"  
  
"Shh." He guided her with his arm around her out of the Gryffindor common room and out of safety. Luckily, no one was in the corridors save few first years who were lost, but they were easily avoidable. He stopped abruptly in front of a statue of an old witch with a rather large wart on her nose that was on the 2nd floor and towards the west wing and pulled out his wand. Hermione didn't like this. Ever since she had seen Beauty and The Beast, she had always hated West Wings.  
  
He hissed something inaudible after he checked behind him to see if anyone would notice the hand that was hovering in mid-air. The grinding of stone was the only sound that was heard for quite a while and Ron tightened his grip around Hermione. It wasn't loud enough for any teachers to hear, though. The front of the witch's skirt disappeared to the other side of her. After it was done moving, it showed an empty space within the hollow statue. Ron looked around again, just to check if anyone was there, and took off Harry's cloak.  
  
Ron folded it up in a nice little square and took a step inside, ducking his head so as not to hit it on the top of the witch's cold torso. Ron held out a hand for Hermione to climb in.  
  
"I dunno, Ron." She complained. Ron rolled his eyes. Hermione took a step backwards but Ron caught her hand anyway and pulled her close enough to him for him to be able to whisper and her hear it.  
  
"Do you want to find Harry or no?" She jumped at the sharpness and crispness of his voice. She gulped and daintily climbed inside. Ron breathed a sigh of relief and helped her in. He brought her close again, as if they were hugging. Almost every inch of Hermione was touching Ron and vice-versa, except for their backs, of course. Hermione turned her head so she could lean her head against Ron's chest. "Ok, hold on tight," Ron warned her, and Hermione tugged him into a tight hug as he whispered a spell with his wand in his right hand.  
  
"Deorsum," He murmurmed. The stone gave a slight budge beneath their feet and Hermione gasped quietly and squeezed her eyes shut. As they descended down, the skirt of the witch returned to its original position. Ron slipped the cloak over them again and returned his arm back around her after he stowed his wand back into a little bag of his that Hermione had managed to avoid seeing earlier.  
  
"Just in case." He whispered in her ear, sending those sorts of shivers down her spine again. She could feel it getting cold as they moved slowly. The stone was acting like an elevator, although she was sure that the Muggle elevators she had been in didn't have moss on the surrounding walls, as this one did. The grinding noise stopped and the platform did, too, after a minute.  
  
Hermione opened her eyes and saw a long tunnel stretched before them. They were underneath the school now.  
  
"Right, then," Ron said, unraveling from Hermione and slipping off the cloak and letting the warmth disappear with it. It tucked it into his backpack and reached for Hermione's hand subconsciously. He began to lead her down the dark corridor. Towards Harry.  
  
*  
  
Hermione stumbled over nothing and grabbed Ron's arm to prevent falling and making a complete fool out of herself.  
  
"Gosh it's darks down here- wish we had some light. You rushed me out so quickly. I forgot my wand," She explained. Ron reached behind him into his bad and pulled something long and skinny out.  
  
"Oh, I remembered," he told her, handing her her own wand. She smiled delightedly as she saw Ron brandish his new one- after all, he needed another one after that incident with the Tree, now didn't he?  
  
"Lumos!" Hermione called into the darkness. Her voice echoed down the hall, bouncing off of the damp walls. The tunnel looked a lot like a dungeon, now lighted. Same dampness, bleakness and same smell. The only difference was that there weren't any cells or rooms. Just infinite stone walls.  
  
*  
  
"Now can you?"  
  
"Can I what?"  
  
"Explain- what else? What would you like me to say? Kiss me passionately, because I want you right here, right now? Honestly." Ron blushed and Hermione wondered if that really was something he wanted to hear from her.  
  
"I can't. Not till we're out of the castle, at least." She nodded understandably. She knew lots of things that could happen if he said something wrong down here. Spells, charms. numerous ways of dying. Ron must know what he's doing.  
  
The walked in silence for a few minutes, not because they didn't want to talk to each other, but rather the lack of anything to talk about. After all, what does one say when you're underneath your wizarding school in their deepest dungeons and stuck with your best friend? Laugh the fear away?  
  
The dark seemed to be ebbing away, slowly, but noticeably. They seemed to speed up their pace, knowing something was waiting for them. Ron caught Hermione's arm just as he was about to break into a run, as if a thought had just struck him.  
  
"Hermione." He whispered. She stopped and looked at him.  
  
"What. what could be down here? You know, big-scary-monster-that-wants-to- eat-us wise?" She let go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding.  
  
"Nothing Ron," She told him, then added at a less audible voice, "that I know of." But he didn't hear her because he had taken off at a run down the corridor.  
  
"Come on!" He yelled over his shoulder and soon Hermione joined him in running, ignoring the splattering sounds of who-knows-what on the floor beneath her. They ran blissfully towards the growing light, however small it was, and stopped dead when they saw what faced them at the end of the long tunnel they had been in. At the end of it was a circular dead end, with one way out.  
  
A locked door.  
  
***  
  
Draco sat up straight in his bed, clutching at his hear. His light hair was stuck to his forehead due to sweat. His breathing was rapid, as was his heartbeat. He was losing the remnants of his dream consciously. Going, going. gone.  
  
"Dammit." He cursed, throwing his personalized silk Malfoy covers off of his tailored pajamas that in the end covered his fair-skinned, wiry body. He was a lot like his clothes: sharp, finely cut (as much as the Slytherin house girls thought), and expensive. He yawned as he pushed his curtains away, slipping his ice-cold feet onto the stone floor. He pushed his way out of his dormitory. His hair and skin clashed with his pajamas and house's darkness. He stood out like a white spider in a finely spun web of death. Then again, when has the Slytherin's Common Room ever been a warm, bright place to be? That was for the Gryffindors, so, the opposite was found here.  
  
Draco fumbled his way down the oddly-cut steps into the common room. He grasped onto the banister that followed the circular staircase to help his balance. When he finally reached the common room, he plopped onto the green sofa. Quickly he fell asleep again, looking like a fallen angel in a sea of green sin.  
  
***  
  
"Have you figured it yet?" Ron asked for the third time in a minute. Hermione sat, rather disturbed, on a beat up trunk that Ron had managed to transfigure from a rock. They had moved it to near the door so Hermione could see if any spells would work. So far, Alohomora didn't. Neither did any other spells she knew.  
  
"No, Ron." She sighed impatiently as he began pacing in front of her again. Three steps right, then turn and four steps back. Again. Again.  
  
"Please don't do that." She begged in an exasperated voice. He ran a hand through his hair, the other one stuffed lazily in his pants pocket. He looked at her. He turned on his heel and stared at her.  
  
"Stop what?" He asked as he kept going. She sighed again.  
  
"Nothing." Silence filled the walls. Then, both of them at the same time began the same sentence.  
  
"Look- about yesterday, with Malfoy-" Then they stopped and looked at each other, smiling.  
  
"Nevermind," They both finished. Hermione blushed as they both went back to their nervous habits: Ron's pacing and Hermione to her lip biting and clever thinking.  
  
Time seemed to be lost between them. For the longest time, all Hermione heard was Ron's footsteps and their echo. Her mind wandered and finally ended up on Ron. She noticed what he was wearing: his blue pin-striped pajamas and his school robes over them. Oddly, his pants had smudges on them. Black ones. His red hair curled on the top of his head, showing off his gorgeous blue eyes. Hermione bit her lip.  
  
As if Ron knew she was staring at him, he turned to see her. She smiled at him.  
  
"What? 'Ve you gotten something?" She shook her head, still smiling. She glanced up, towards the light as he began pacing again. She shielded her eyes. It couldn't possibly be light outside already- Could it?  
  
She wondered how long it would be until anyone noticed they were gone. Padma would tell everyone her story, of course, after confirming it with Parvati. Then again, maybe they would cover for her.  
  
She scoffed out loud. 'Yeah, right!' She shook her head. 'This is nonsense. I should thinking of a way to get us out of this retched-'  
  
"AARGH!" Ron yelled as he charged at the door, head down, shoulder leading him. He braced himself just seconds before the impact against the rock hard door.  
  
Hermione jumped to her feet as she heard a sickening crack.  
  
"RON!" She stopped herself as she saw the crack was in the door, and not one of Ron's bones. It passed from one side, the upper left, to below the handle on the right.  
  
"Hey.Ron?" Hermione put a finger to her cheek, thinking this over. Hermione looked impressed. She stood back as Ron hacked at the door with all the stress that had built up inside him within the past few days.  
  
She could hear the slightly audible sounds he was making form words. She heard 'can't take him, you can't!' repeated along with a slew of words so greatly strung together, it would have done Harry proud, although their predicament would not.  
  
The memory of Harry brought a pang to Hermione's heart, then back to reality as she heard another bang against the wooden door.  
  
The door began to give way, but Ron didn't stop. His breathing was hard and his face color matched his hair, which was stuck to his face in a sweaty manner. She could tell he his adrenaline level was pretty high because his many freckles stood out as black dots against his face, matching the pattern of a red lady bug.  
  
The door squeaked as it was pushed off one of its hinges. Ron didn't stop.  
  
The door swung and began to fall, but Ron didn't stop.  
  
The silver door handle rattled and fell to the hard ground, the first sign that the door actually was going down. It rung like a bell as it hit the floor and Hermione looked at it, but only for a second, because a sudden yelp from Ron that sounded as if he had plans for a certain broomstick to be arranged up someone's-  
  
"Ron!" He didn't stop. He kept attacking that door with all the vigilance he had in him. Hermione began to think that this door was becoming a scapegoat. The door budged a bit at the base and Hermione saw a bit of the room beyond them. But guess what? Ron. Didn't. Stop.  
  
He wiped a bit of spit off his cheek before he hit the door one last time and it swayed to finally hit the ground. Ron stood at the base of the rigid, broken door, breathing hard, his face flushed.  
  
"Ron. are you.-" She stopped herself as she realized that the only word she had said within the past ten minutes was his name. He looked up at her and gave her a quick smile.  
  
"Sometimes the simplest solutions are best," he explained, wiping the sweat from his brown and licking his lips, "Coming?" He asked, one foot on top of the door. She nodded and stepped onto the door and Ron's hand slid to the small of her back.  
  
"On with the adventure!" Ron called.  
  
***  
  
Draco sat up quickly. He was cold. But that was good. Better than being warm. He belonged in the cold. He pulled himself up to hug his knees and stared into the glowing fire, trying to remember his most recent dream.  
  
"Bring Nagini to me, Wormtail." A sharp voice instructed.  
  
"Yes, master." A short man with a receding hairline came into view of the fogginess of Draco's dream world.  
  
The man named Wormtail was carrying a long green snake with a diamond pattern on its back. He approached a red, obviously expensive, silver chair. The snake wound its way into the chair and the man in it gave a happy sigh.  
  
"Ah, Nagini. My darling." A fire emerged from the dreariness and warmed the scene. Shadows on the wall indicated that the small man in the chair was stroking the snake. The pudgy man retreated to the far corner of the room with his head bowed. After a while, the icy cold voice began again.  
  
"I am weak, Wormtail. I need to be stronger. Much stronger." A pause.  
  
"Yes," Wormtail countered, "Yes, master."  
  
***  
  
They entered a low-ceilinged room. It was pale red, but that might have been due to the fact that the only light was supplied by the light of the next room over. The walls were made of edgy stone that seemed like they're only purpose was to cause pain.  
  
They ran as fast as they could across the room and stopped promptly at a red, large, door. It mimicked the first one, except the other one was brown- wooden, with metal hinges. This one was red with even darker hinges than the first.  
  
"Well, let's do this logically," Hermione stated, holding Ron back from dissipating the door.  
  
"Alohomora." Nothing happened. "Well, it was worth a try." Ron nodded, obviously his turn at the door.  
  
He took a deep breath and two steps back.  
  
"Rarrgh!" He attacked the door with full might, but bounced back off of it when he got two inches away from it. He hit the floor with a loud thump.  
  
"Owww." He moaned, rubbing his side. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well. We could." Her voice fell as she couldn't think of anything. She looked around her. In there haste to get the door across the room, they ignored the long table that displayed quite a long inventory of potions. They were all in different shaped in different glass vials. Some were blue, some were green, and yet still, some more were brown. Only one was clear- the first one. They were the only things in the room that weren't red.  
  
"De ja vue." Hermione mumbled, remembering her first year, examining the different glasses.  
  
"Huh?" 'That's right, he wasn't there for that- he was passed out in the next room.' She had forgotten.  
  
"Nothing," she countered. It wasn't worth explaining at the moment.  
  
A few quick spells showed Hermione what was in each and every bottle.  
  
"Hmmm.well then I don't see how that could open the door." Her puzzlement scared Ron.  
  
"What? What is it?" He asked, taking a step closer to her, but hesitantly. Hermione could be dangerous with that wand of hers.  
  
"They all have," She turned to face him as she thought of a word she could use that he would be familiar with, "uh, the stuff they put in butterbeer to make you. you know. a little. woo-hoo." She waved her hands and wiggled her fingers behind her head. Ron highered his eyebrows at her. He didn't know 'woo-hoo' was included in Hermione's vocabulary.  
  
"Do we have to drink it?" Ron asked, a twinkle in his eyes.  
  
"I think so, but, maybe not. Maybe its just here to confuse us."  
  
"It's doing an excellent job, then. I don't see how it would hurt, anyway." Ron took a step near the table. Hermione held out a hand, "There might be something. else in it. You know, poison, stuff like that, the kind of stuff they would make Harry drink- the-it-will-kill-you-slowly-and- painfully kind of stuff. Still want to drink it? Sounds like a fun little party to me."  
  
"You can't tell?" Hermione shook her head. Ron picked up a particularly green goblet shaped one with violet liquid inside.  
  
"Ron-"  
  
""Well, it wouldn't hurt that bad. I mean, one little sip." And with that, he swirled the drink as if he were tasting wine. It reminded Hermione of her uncle, but she shook the thought of her family away as swiftly as it came. Ron looked at the drink suspiciously and then raised the glass to his lips hesitantly and took a small sip. He clamped his eyes shut as he swallowed the small amount.  
  
"Cra-ack!" Hermione's head whipped around, and sure enough, there was a deepset, however small, crack in the door. She looked back at Ron, with a confused look on her face. He thrust a blue tinted vase-shaped glass into her hands.  
  
"Chug it!"  
  
*** Padma's alarm went off at 7:00 in the morning. Now, you have to remember, this was on a Saturday morning.  
  
"Ughh," She groaned as she rolled over, hitting it, but it didn't shut off.  
  
"Her-mione. your stupid muggle beeper toy went off again!" She whined. She got out of bed and crossed over to her friend's bed. She clamped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
"Trust you to get me a nice muggle toy that goes off at seven! In the morning! I'm never going to accept a Christmas present from you again if you don't tell me that its from the wizarding world first! I wanted a purse, but Nooo! I wanted jewelry, but N-" She got cut off by the fact that Hermione wasn't in her bed.  
  
"Hermione?" Everyone else was starting to wake up.  
  
"Turn that durned thing off, Padma!" Lavender yelled, covering her head with her pillow.  
  
"You guys! Hermione's. gone!"  
  
***  
  
"'Ey! Malfoy, what're you doing out here? Why aren't you in your own dormitory? You to good for your own bed now? You protesting against non- satin sheets? Malfoy?! You hear me?!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, Baddock. Who couldn't hear you? That mouth of yours that's been everywhere, including Pansy's-"  
  
"Draco! I was wondering where you had gone!" It was Saturday morning and the Slytherins were waking up. Draco was stiff and felt like he'd been sleeping on the floor- as disgusting as that sounded. Malcolm was prodding him awake and it was slowly working.  
  
Draco stretched, sitting up as the sound of Millicent's voice pierced his ears.  
  
"Nice PJ's, Malfoy!" Blaise Zabini called on her way out the Common Room with a gaggle of her friends. She was probably headed out to stare at Marcus Flint at breakfast. Or Worse. Draco rolled his eyes at her and shot her a 'yeah-yeah' face. He sat up to look at Millicent who was right in his face. His hand held the back of his head.  
  
"Looking for me?" He winced. There was a slight pressure in the back of hid head.  
  
"Oww." He moaned.  
  
"Yes, I need help with potions homework and I don't want to ask Sna-"  
  
"There you are, Draco!" The grunty voice of Crabbe (or maybe it was Goyle?) entered his head like thunder, rocking Draco back.  
  
"Ahh!" Draco sighed as Crabbe and Goyle thumped down the rest of the stairs, and plopped onto the couch, catching him between them and making Draco fly up an inch into the air due to their weight. Millicent looked disgusted.  
  
She primly stood from her seat in the green armchair next to the couch, pricked up her school robes, and went down to breakfast, leaving the common room empty except for Crabbe, Draco and Goyle.  
  
"Why don't you two head off to breakfast? I'll go get dressed." Draco suggested, standing. Crabbe and Goyle made agreeing grunts and made their way out the portrait hole, bumping into each other the whole way there. Draco scowled and made his way back to his own room.  
  
He shook his head upon recalling it, and mumbled to himself, his hand on the back of his head, "That sure was a weird dream."  
  
***  
  
"Ron. its not *hiccup* budging any more *hiccup*!" Hermione whined. They had drunk as much of the liquid as they could, and the door had broken halfway down, but it still wouldn't let them any closer than two inches. Every times they took a sip, it crumbled more and more. But, then, for some odd reason, after a certain amount, the door had stopped turning to dust at the base of the threshold, even when Ron took a drink from the cup.  
  
They were both clearly drunk by now, and they weren't about to admit it. They were laughing giddily and there were various objects amid the dust and dirt of the ground because Hermione wanted something to sit on and Ron had tried desperately to make a dustball turn into a throne.  
  
It didn't work.  
  
This long list of items that lay on the ground included: three turtle shells, a bottle of red nail polish, a candle, a white pencil, a turkey feather, a green key, a baby rattle, a green key, and a hairbrush. And something that when it appeared, Ron hid it from Hermione's view and immediately stuffed it into a pocket of his bag, declaring it for 'emergencies.'  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, Hermione! It's not my fault!" He replied. They both broke into giggles.  
  
"What are we *hiccup* gonna do?" She asked in a mock-worry tone. They laughed hysterically again.  
  
"I dunno, but I need some air. got any in your pocket, 'Mione?" Hermione turned around to look in her back pocket, but, strange enough, she couldn't see her back pocket. She turned her head, but really she ended up turning her whole body, which made her turn more until she was going quickly in circles, spinning. Ron began to clap to a rhythm.  
  
"That's it 'Mione!" Ron took up her arm in his and danced with her.  
  
"Swing your partner 'round and 'round!" Hermione yelled. They stopped dancing, out of breath and had to sit down to regain it, even though laughing hard was not helping the situation. They both had been laughing so long that they had to hold their sides so they didn't split.  
  
Hermione slapped the ground and sighed. She sure was having fun. She looked up and saw the door.  
  
"Hey, Ron! Maybe you should run into the door again!"  
  
"Now, Hermione, that would be dangerous. you do it." Hermione scoffed, and then giggled.  
  
She thought for a moment, and then replied, "Okay!" She got up in response and began to run full charge and head on at the bright red, stony wall. Thankfully, there were cracks in the wall. Hermione stopped dead, literally seconds before she hit it.  
  
"Ron!" His head jerked up like a puppet and he looked at her.  
  
"Chicken, are you?" In that moment, Hermione smelled fresh air, and a flash of clear headed-ness came into her. She ran to him and pointed her wand at him, scooping it off the ground as she ran to him.  
  
"Sobrietus!"  
  
"Aww, what'd you do that for?" Hermione giggled- she was acting drunk again.  
  
"Hermione? Sobrietus," Ron murmured into her ear with his wand in his right hand. Hermione stopped mid-giggle.  
  
"Oh, thank god. I was beginning to worry then," She sighed.  
  
"Yes, now, back to our." Ron waved his arm towards the door, "predicament."  
  
"I dunno. Uh. Let's try Alohomora again." They did. And Incendio. Nothing. Hermione sat down on the ground in a humph, no use in trying to trying to stay clean now, they were obviously never going to get out of here.  
  
"Hermione." Ron plopped down next to her.  
  
"I dunno what else to try. I mean, we've tried everything." She stood up and began pacing, and Ron took her nervous habit by biting his lip. "Except maybe Open Sesame, but, I mean, Woo. is that really going to-"  
  
"CREEAK" The door swung open- or half a door anyway. They both looked at each other and then tore into the next room.  
  
***  
  
They were still in the same castle, but it was a different room. Nagini was gone.  
  
"Here are my plans, Wormtail- and what I need you to do." The cold voice was there, though it resounded in the room like ice cracking. Draco knew it was the Dark Lord.  
  
"Yes, master." The humble servant nodded.  
  
"I need strength before we strike. Of course we will need Harry Potter. He is much more important that that fool, Dubledore, knows. Good thing Lucius had that book, and that son of this is going to be a great help." The little man bowed his head as if he was tired. Draco knew he was. Wormtail stepped forward and wrapped a blanket around him.  
  
"Yes master." The Dark Lord didn't see it, but Draco did: A wicked smile escaped from the mouth of Wormtail- as if he knew something no one else did.  
  
The recesses of his mind swirled and relocated, in a shade of grey.  
  
They were in an empty, small bedroom. It was Lucius and Wormtail.  
  
"You're sure?" Lucius asked, in a barely audible whisper.  
  
"Very. I know this will work. I only need a little time, and then we'll have Potter, and we won't need him to lead us around like danged fools. Aren't you tired of all if this 'Lucius do this, Lucius do that, Lucius, how is that fine young boy of yours?" Wormtail raised his eyebrows. He somehow looked taller than before.  
  
Lucius smiled, "Yes. but- will we get revenge?"  
  
"Yes- they will both be put in the same place."  
  
"But not in the same one?" Lucius looked around to see if anyone was coming.  
  
"No, he would hurt the boy, and we need him." Lucius nodded.  
  
"Alright then. And you're ready?"  
  
"Almost. But I need to go- he'll be wondering where I am." Lucius nodded again.  
  
"Until later."  
  
"Later," Wormtail added with a nod. They signaled to each other with their own encoded hand motion: thumb, forefinger and ring finger up; middle and little finger down as they departed, Wormtail out the door to the hall and Lucius out the door to the stairs.  
  
Draco shook his head, "Yeah. weird."  
  
***  
  
It wasn't a room next, but stairs. Ron held Hermione back with his arm, not wanting her to go down at first, but eventually he let her go down- after him.  
  
He kept his hand back behind him- holding hers. She smiled because she knew he'd protect her, whatever happened.  
  
They climbed down the steps slowly because they wanted to test each step before putting their weight on it. They finally got to the bottom and realized it had gotten much colder than it was in the red room.  
  
The finally got to another door, which was a faint color of orange. Ron had his eyebrow raised as he tried the door handle, and easily enough, it opened.  
  
"That was easy." Ron commented, still staring at the door handle as if it hadn't opened at all. Hermione, on the other hand, saw what lay before them through the door.  
  
"This won't be." Ron looked into the room and saw what she was talking about. The person that set this up had a very evil and twisted mind.  
  
Just like the obstacle course that lay in the new, orange colored room.  
  
***  
  
News of Hermione missing came from Padma and the news that Ron was missing came from Seamus. Needless to say, everyone knew about it before breakfast was over.  
  
Dumbledore acted very calm, and ordered the professors follow suit. Only Trelawny acted odd. She flitted around her room, predicting horrible outcomes, pain, and fear. Even Lavender wanted to tell her to "Oh, just shut it!"  
  
Draco was the only one that wasn't surprised. He knew that eventually they'd go after him, after all, they were his best friends. And if they didn't, his father's plan wouldn't work. So he was the only one in the school with a leg up. He would be leaving soon, to follow them, and Granger was going to lead him right to what he wanted.  
  
Potter.  
  
He grinned to himself in his dormitory. He had been dressed for a while, but he fell asleep again. After all, he never said he was going downstairs; just that he was getting dressed. He began to get hungry, so he decided to eat anyway, before he left.  
  
He went down the steps into the Common Room and then decided it was best he get packed before he left. He shrugged, figuring he'd make his father wait, and finished his destination towards the Great Hall.  
  
***  
  
"God. it's so cold." Hermione shivered as she went down the steps, getting closer to the maze they had to get through first. Then they had a long tunnel to go through that was definitely smaller than the one they had been in before and it was more circular shaped. Then after that they had a ladder, and then the objects drifted from view, but Hermione was sure there was more. She sighed as she reached to wrap her arms around herself, but found there were a set already there. She smiles and slowed down a bit as he did.  
  
"Here, take this-" His voice was muffled and then not at all as he handed her his shirt.  
  
"Ron-"  
  
"No, I'm not cold, and, I mean, you are, so, yeah." Hermione found it a little odd that Ron wouldn't be wearing a shirt, but, she was cold. And how else was she going to get warmth? She slid it on over her pyjamas.  
  
"Ron?"  
  
"Yes, Hermione?"  
  
"Shouldn't we be running?"  
  
"Probably." She took his hand and began to run down the steps as fast as she could. They reached the bottom and were faced with a wall of plants. Orange plants. It was very odd how they were in a room where everything was a shade of orange.  
  
"Alright- do you remember which way it was when you saw it from up there?" Ron asked.  
  
"A little. Come on, it's a right. and then a left, but then a right again." Hermione led Ron slowly through the maze, trying to remember what way to go.  
  
"Well get through eventually, right?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No, left," Ron told her, guiding her to the east.  
  
***  
  
A slight touch of a finger brushed against Draco's shoulder. He jerked behind him and saw Snape's face.  
  
"Yes, Professor?"  
  
"Your father is waiting for you outside, Mr. Malfoy. With a carriage. You are to be leaving," Snape said through tight lips and clenched teeth.  
  
"Ah, of course." Draco smiled and put his napkin down.  
  
"Tell him I must pack." Snape looked horrified. Tell. Lucius. to wait? He was not going to like this. Especially coming from Snape. Draco placed his napkin down on his plate, waved a short and quick good-bye to his table, rose, and headed for his dormitory to get ready.  
  
***  
  
"Can't we just shoot flames at the stupid plants, Hermione?" A very bored, exasperated, had his arms crossed Ron asked after Hermione made her second wrong turn and backed up. Her head whipped around.  
  
"NO!" She screamed, startling them both.  
  
"Why not?" He asked.  
  
"Because, who knows what could happen. It could cave in, they could attack us, we could suffocate, or they could just plain out kill us!"  
  
"Oh. Well, in that case." Hermione rolled her eyes and decided to go left out of a three way fork.  
  
"Are you sure you're going the right way?"  
  
"Yes, now don't balk; you'll make me lose my concentration."  
  
"Yes M'am!" He called back. She flashed him a death glare, but kept moving and didn't let go of his hand. She was going to figure this out.  
  
***  
  
"Hmm. and- oh yes!" Draco had folded all his clothes neatly that he would need, which was a lot. This was, after all, Draco Malfoy. Obsessed with clothes, as the rest of them were.  
  
There was a rap at his door.  
  
"Come in," he called. A small house elf entered his room and offered to carry his luggage to his carriage.  
  
"Alright, then," He agreed, handing off all of his seven bags to the very small elf. He strode out the room and ponced out the doors, not giving a second look back at the castle. He was leaving, and maybe it was for good. Good riddance.  
  
He walked up to the black coach and waited for the doorman to open it. It turned out he was waiting quite a while. When the doorman finally realized that the young Mr. Malfoy was indeed waiting on him, he rushed off his high seat and fumbled opening the door. He bowed his head and it gave Draco an easy glance at his father. His father turned his head and looked at his boy. He saw him reflected against his old school and he was reminded of the days he spent there. He turned his head back forward as Draco climbed into the coach.  
  
The doorman shut the door and went back to his seat. After about five minutes, they heard the small elf loading the luggage into the back of the coach.  
  
"The doorman should be fired," Draco commented, in a sotto voice to his father.  
  
"Yes," Lucius drawled, without stirring, "Yes, I know." A very loud 'Oomph' was audible from the small elf and then he was done.  
  
The doorman whipped the purebred, black horses and called out "Hee-yah!"  
  
The two-person coach departed from the old school and made its way down to Hogsmeade.  
  
The last thing people could see of them was the glistening green M with wands poking through it. The sun caught it and sent shivers up the young elf's spine as he saw the coach dwindling away into nothing as it became farther and farther away. Who knew what he had just helped to depart?  
  
***  
  
"Alright, I can see the edge of it, but we have to get over this wall, and I don't see where it ends. Do you? Hermione looked both ways down the end of the huge green wall that blocked their way to Harry.  
  
"No, but. maybe we can try to climb over it." Hermione looked up at Ron. Good Point.  
  
"Alright, I don't see any harm in that, help me up." Ron stuck a hand out immediately as he was told and Hermione grasped the edge of the wall and pulled herself up.  
  
"Nice pink knickers, Hermione. Christmas present?"  
  
"Ha. Ha. You're funny, Ron," She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"I know." Hermione slid one leg over the wall so she was straddling it.  
  
"Alright, your turn," She told him.  
  
"Stop saying alright, will you?" Ron asked as he kicked a hole in the nature made wall to make room for his foot and pulled up with his hand on the top of the wall.  
  
"Alright," Hermione beamed. She reached out a hand to help Ron up and soon they were both straddling the wall. At the same time, they both slid their other leg to the other side.  
  
They cast a glance at each other and took each other's hand as the looked at what lay ahead of them, then jumped. Hermione landed as a cat would, Ron, however, didn't.  
  
"OW! Gosh... stupid. walls!" He flung out his hand to catch himself as he pitched forward, almost banging into their next element to cross- A Tunnel.  
  
It reminded Hermione of those little plastic ones they used to have in muggle playgrounds. She shrugged and bent over easily into a crawling position as she approached it.  
  
It was very small, made of stone, and sound resounded inside it like an air vent. Oddly enough, though, it was immaculate. Not anything drippy, gloopy, slimy, disgusting or even slippery. Not a speck of dust, either. Hermione was impressed.  
  
Ron crouched down, pulling his pant legs up a bit and looked into the tunnel. He climbed in after her, biting back a huge grin.  
  
"Like I said before, Hermione, Nice Knickers." Her grey, plaited skirt revealed what was underneath as she crawled.  
  
"Oh shut it. I just hope there isn't anything we have to kill in here or something." Ron shook his head.  
  
"Why do you automatically think 'death' inside tunnels like this?" He asked.  
  
"What am I supposed to think? 'Ooh, yay, we get to travel through a child's-sized tunnel on our hands and knees. Tonnes of merriment ahead!'? I mean, honestly." Ron tried to think of something smart and witty to come back with. No dice.  
  
"No, Hermione, no, n -not usually." The tunnel actually wasn't very long, it was just there as something to tire and bore them. Hermione finally found the ending of the tunnel by gracefully falling out of it and screaming a high-pitched, caught-unaware scream. She toppled out and ended up looking up at Ron, who stared down at her weird.  
  
"Ok, this would be for the third time now. Nice knickers."  
  
"Ugh!" She tolled over and stood up, straightening out her hair as much as she could.  
  
"Come on," She held out a hand for him and pulled him out.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Yeah, alright."  
  
"Don't say that!" Ron replied.  
  
"Alright," She smiled a cheek smile and moved forward to climb up the ladder that must have been over ten feet tall.  
  
Hermione sighed and put her right hand on the fourth rung and stepped up. She climbed up to where her feet were on the fifth when Ron began coming up.  
  
"How many times do I have to say it, Hermione?"  
  
"Say what?" Hermione was too busy steadying herself to worry about Ron's sarcasm.  
  
"Nice Knickers."  
  
"Oh shut up!" She called down to him.  
  
"No, I mean it. I love the little lacy pattern on them, too."  
  
"Ron. If you would like to be able to have children, then I would shut up if I were you, unless, of course, if you want me to fix that when we get off this thing."  
  
"I'm quite alright, thank you."  
  
"Did you just say alright?"  
  
"Embarrassingly, yes." She smiled to herself as she climbed to the top of the ladder and saw what else they had to cross. They had to go down a slide; across a garden- was that right, a garden? And, of all things to be found in a dungeon, a pool. Hermione shook her head.  
  
"What kind of demented people made this?"  
  
"I don't know.but maybe Snape had something to do with it," Ron suggested. Hermione sighed.  
  
"Well, come on." She put her legs in front of her and let go of the side railings, slipping all the way down the orange slide. It was very slippery for stone. Once she landed, she looked back up at where Ron was and realized that the slide was twice as long as the ladder was tall. They were farther down in the dungeons of Hogwarts.  
  
Ron slid down just as she did and soon enough they were ready to conquer the garden. There weren't any gnomes in this garden, thank bob.  
  
"Alright," Hermione began, catching a glare from Ron, but continuing, "so, what exactly is all of this stuff?" There were numerous plants and trees in this garden, ones that Hermione recognized, and some that she didn't.  
  
"Well, some of that there is Nightmare grass, be sure to not get stuck in that, it'll give you nightmares. Hence the name: Nightmare Grass. Some of that is.. well, I forgot the name, but it's a sort of fruit that makes you not be able to move for. quite a while. That," Ron pushed on, pointing here and there, guiding Hermione away from the deadly plants with his hand on the small of her back, "is um. scary stuff, so, how about we stay away from that, ok? Ok."  
  
"Ooh, yummy. I'm starving-" Hermione plucked out a red delicious apple from a tree and raised it to her mouth, but dropped it when she heard a squeaky voice projecting from it.  
  
"Hey! Put me down!"  
  
"Wha- Oh!" Hermione cried out.  
  
"Just what do you think you're doing, young lady?!" The apple called. It dropped and rolled on the floor, away from Hermione. The other red apples began chattering among themselves with mouth but no eyes.  
  
"I was just a bit. hungry." Hermione stated. The apple that she had dropped rolled back to her feet.  
  
"Hungry?! HUNGRY?!"  
  
"I-."  
  
"You have NO right to EAT ME!"  
  
"But I-" Hermione picked up the apple.  
  
"I was just a bit hungry from going through the maze and-"  
  
"Don't EAT me! You don't just EAT an apple, now do you?!" Hermione didn't know what to say. Inside her head, she was thinking, 'Yes, actually, I do just eat apples.' But she didn't say that aloud.  
  
"You shouldn't be eating anything!" Hermione definitely took that the wrong way.  
  
"WHAt?! How dare you?!" She took the apple and threw it at the tree it came from. Suddenly the bark moved and reshaped. "OW! That hurt! You don't just throw apples at things! That's not very nice!" From the ground, Hermione heard the squeaky voice again.  
  
"Oh, gosh, not another bruise." Ron, who had been quiet throughout this whole tirade, came up behind Hermione and wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear.  
  
"Come on, let's go." He directed her away from the arguing apple and tree who were talking about who the impact hurt the most.  
  
"Honestly."  
  
"I know, Hermione, let's just. go." She nodded and stepped through the edge of the garden, past all of the beautiful ice-plants she didn't dare to touch. Just as she stepped out, a piece of nightmare grass caught at her sock and stopped her in her tracks.  
  
Suddenly Hermione was whirled away in her mind to some place totally different and new.  
  
***  
  
"Really, boy, did you think that it would just be a kitten and mouse game? No. We need their help and we have to wait here until they get out. Then we give them directions and then follow them. How do we get directions, you may ask, well, we're going to direct them to the nearest train station, and will just happen to be riding that same train. We will need to keep a close eye on them, but we don't want them knowing we're here. You got that? Silent. You. Stay." Draco nodded to his father.  
  
"Alright, now, sit here and do as I say. Here, did you read the latest issue of that. magazine your mother bought for you. It came in the mail and she wished for you not to be bored. Soft-hearted wench. Anyway, here. She said it was a very," he paused, "interesting issue. Whatever that means." Lucius handed Draco a copy of the April issue of Teen Witch Weekly. Although it had 'weekly' in its title, it was only delivered once a month. Draco thought this was odd, but then again, other people would think it odd that he had a subscription.  
  
Draco snatched the magazine from his father.  
  
"Thank. You. Father. And if anyone finds out about this subscription I have, I'll-"  
  
"You'll what?" His father asked icily.  
  
"I'll. do something evil." His father looked smug.  
  
"Right, Draco. Right." With that, Lucius turned to his edition of the Death Eater's Newspaper, DeathEaters Daily. Draco opened his copy and turned to the table of contents.  
  
There were little stars that marked the cover stories, and everything else was bulleted in pink hearts.  
  
"Bloody hearts." Draco murmured. He flipped through the pages, glancing at the 'My brother is a werewolf and it's so embarrassing' story and the one with the girl that had fancied her potions master. The one he was aiming for was the one about some girl liking her worst enemy because of a potion. 'Curious.' he thought. He tore out the page and stuffed it in his minute little handbag. Not a purse, mind you. Because purses were girly. And Draco was not. Handbags were manly. Especially black handbags. Yes. Ungirly black handbags. Like Draco: Ungirly. And Black on the inside.  
  
Ye-es.  
  
***  
  
Hermione called out a name but she didn't hear her voice. Come to think of it, she didn't hear anything. Then, suddenly she heard the washing of waves and it was as if she had just opened her eyes. She was standing on a beach with sticky sand. It was hot- hotter than she remembered the sea to be and the rushing waves weren't blue- but red- like blood. She saw something moving and began to run toward it. It was very small and she could only see a smidgen of blue and an even smaller bit of blue.  
  
She ran farther and farther on the sand that was rough beneath her feet. She wasn't wearing shoes, come to think of it; she was barely wearing anything- just a long white shirt.  
  
The object came into focus and she realized what it was. It was Harry. He was stuck to the sand by two grey chains pulling him there that were thrust into the ground and didn't look like they'd be moving anytime soon. He was wearing a blue shirt. Hermione rushed to his side and began murmuring magic words to see if she could help.  
  
All the while, Harry just looked at her as if pleading for her not to help him. As if he wanted to stay where he was.  
  
"Hermione- Hermione!" A voice called her name, but it wasn't Harry's. She looked up but then everything turned black again. She opened her eyes again and saw Ron. She was back in the dungeons of Hogwarts, trying to get to Harry.  
  
"Hermione! Are you ok?" She nodded. He was on one knee, holding her so that his arms were wrapped around her and he was holding her head up. Hermione noted that if they weren't in a position where Hermione had just had a nightmare, Ron would probably be kissing her, but, they were.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"A piece of nightmare grass-"  
  
"Yeah, I know," She said, slipping out of his reach and sitting on the floor just outside the garden. Ron seemed to hesitate a moment.  
  
"What did you see?"  
  
"Nothing. It was all black," She lied. Ron looked down.  
  
"Oh. Well, come on, we've got to keep moving." She nodded and stood up. She was still a little hungry.  
  
"Ron, did you bring any food with you?" She asked as she started walking towards the pool of water that faced them.  
  
"Um, yeah, but, shouldn't we wait until we get out of here first?"  
  
"Yeah, you're right." They stopped at the edge of the pool and looked across it. Sure enough, they could see an orange door on the other side. They looked to the right and left and the pool stretched to the walls.  
  
"Right then. How exactly are we supposed to-" Just as he said that, a long and very unsturdy-looking board stretched across the pool.  
  
"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Ron hit himself in the forehead.  
  
"No, I don't think pools are going to lie. Especially ones found in big, scary, orange dungeons."  
  
"Oh be quiet. You want to go first?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because- Oh, that was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yes, Ron. Yes it was." She daintily picked up her feet and tested her weight against the wobbily wooden board.  
  
"Ahem. Today would be nice," Ron called. Hermione glared at him. She took another step and caught her balance. She took three steps and stopped.  
  
"Don't get on yet, wait until I'm to the other side."  
  
"Yes Ma'm!" Hermione rolled her eyes and began walking again. She took several more steps before she lost her balance and almost fell in, but didn't, thanks to her arms waving at her sides to help. She could hear Ron laughing at her.  
  
"Shut up!" She began moving again and was almost to the end.  
  
"Kay, Ron- but-" She didn't get to finish her sentence just then because Ron had already stepped on while she was about to step off and he caused her to lose her balance again. She fell, of course, into the freezing cold water.  
  
She spluttered and spit as she clambered about, searching for the wall with her eyes closed. The water was very deep and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to pull herself back up again. She reached out for the board, and upon finding it, held herself up above the water high enough to breathe. She watched as Ron calmly made his way to the other side of the pool. He smiled as he stepped off and turned to see the wet Hermione.  
  
"That's how you do it. Not falling in as you did." She scowled at him as he helped her up.  
  
"You were supposed to wait for me to get off before you got on, idiot."  
  
"Hey, don't call me the idiot. I'm not the one with soaking wet clothes sticking to my body, now am I? Yeah, turn around. ok, nice knickers." She glared at him as he spun her around, getting a full look at her.  
  
"No, but you're the one that now if he wants his shirt back, gets a wet one." Ron's face rippled with remembrance.  
  
"Yeah- thought so." Hermione smiled and primly walked over to the door. She swung it open as casually as if it were the door to Professor Sprout's greenhouse, and walked inside. She poked her head back out and looked at Ron who was still standing there, dumbstruck.  
  
"Coming? Or are you just going to stand there like a big fat pompous git?" She asked, her hair still dripping.  
  
Ron turned around and looked at her with a fake hurt face, "You think I'm fat?" He asked before walking into the new, yellow room.  
  
*  
  
"You know, I think we're going to have to go through just about every color room of the rainbow at this rate," Ron gestured around them to the new, yellow room.  
  
"Ick. I hate yellow."  
  
"Xanthophobiac, are you?" That stopped Hermione in her tracks. She turned to Ron with a quizzical look on her face.  
  
"What the heck is that?"  
  
"Fear of the color yellow," He responded nonchalantly.  
  
"How do you know this sort of thing?"  
  
"I know the entire list of phobia's- by heart," Ron stated proudly.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Hermione asked, weirdly impressed.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ok, Mister Phobia Man, what's the fear of music?"  
  
"Melophobia," Ron rattled off easily. Hermione looked at him.  
  
"Alrighty then, whatever floats your boat." She kept walking and this time slowly, as to not miss anything along the way. There was absolutely nothing in this room. Just floor, walls and two doors. All yellow.  
  
Hermione went over to the door to try and figure out how to open this one. There was something written on the door in black letters. Ron had stayed back, venturing a look at the walls.  
  
"Ron." She called over her shoulder, reading the words to herself, "Hey, Ron, come look at this." Ron walked over, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his muscle shirt a little wet from helping Hermione out.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Read this- out loud." She stood back and let him look at it.  
  
"I never was, am always to be, no one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all to live and breathe on the terrestrial ball. What am I? Gosh, these demented people must have had some major time on their hands," Ron exclaimed.  
  
"Never was. but will be." Hermione murmured under her breath, her brow furrowed, trying to figure it out. Ron stood back and let her do her little clever thing. He knew all she needed was a little time and space.  
  
"Hmm. terrestrial ball would be the Earth. hmm. nor ever will- I've got it!" Ron looked up.  
  
"Well, what is it?" Hermione ignored him and turned to the door.  
  
She whispered, "The Future never was, is always to be, no one ever sees it, nor ever will. And yet it is the confidence of all to live and breathe on the terrestrial ball. You are The Future." The bright yellow door began to move and reshape until a whole was left in the dissolved door.  
  
Hermione stood back and smiled at her work.  
  
"Alright, come on, now."  
  
"Don't say that!" He reminded her, following her through the opening in the door.  
  
***  
  
"Alright, Father, I understand. It'll be easy, considering how we're all looking for the same thing. Shouldn't they lead us right to him?"  
  
"Yes, boy, but we have to keep a very close eye on them. Disguise ourselves and the like. Don't want to lose them." Draco nodded. It was a very thorough plan and it seemed to be able to work. It all depended on Granger, though. He hoped she would be stupid enough to fall for his ploy, but then again, she was the first in her class. But Hogwarts didn't really teach matters like this, now did they?  
  
"Draco?" His head jerked up to his name being called.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Be ready for them. We have to make ourselves look as commoners in this place- if there are such things." Draco nodded.  
  
"Alright, what do people wear around this place?"  
  
"Black-" Lucius told him, handing him a mass of robes that were a faded black.  
  
"But, Father, these are dirty!"  
  
"Well, not everyone has as much money as we do, remember. None of the people who live in this place can afford to look as good as us. You have to keep you head covered so they don't recognize us." Draco slipped his school robes off and shrugged on his new- or old robes over his green sweater and grey pants.  
  
When he looked up his father had already changed and had put his hair up so that you couldn't see it at all under his hood. Draco put his hood up, too.  
  
Lucius magicked up a bench for them to sit on and finish reading their newspapers and magazines.  
  
"Now to wait." Lucius told Draco. Draco nodded and opened to the table of contents page.  
  
***  
  
"What'd I tell you? All the colors of the rainbow!" After they went down another flight of stairs, they arrived at an un-doored green room.  
  
"Hey, I like green, it's pretty," Hermione proclaimed. Ron rolled his eyes.  
  
"Not the point, Hermione."  
  
"Oh, all right, come on." They walked to the other side of the green room, where, actually, there was one piece of furniture, a couch. A green couch. Dark green, sitting against the west wall. On the east wall, there was- a window.  
  
"Hey, Ron- go see if you can see where we are from that window!" Hermione told him. Ron rushed off in that direction.  
  
It was a small room, with a lower ceiling than the other rooms. There was barely any light coming in, and the window didn't offer much anything else. Seeing as how all you could see out the window was dirt.  
  
"Great. Well. We're underground, Hermione."  
  
"Right- must have slipped my mind. Why's there a window, then?"  
  
"To Torment us," Ron suggested rather confidently.  
  
"Right. Well. There isn't anything written on this door, um-" Hermione reached out a hand to open it up, but it was locked.  
  
"Alohomora!" She murmured at the door, but, still, nothing happened.  
  
"Incendio!" The little bit of fire bounced off and dissolved into the ground.  
  
"Right. Well." Hermione sat down as Ron came back over to her. He looked at the door and saw that underneath the golden little handle, there was a key spot.  
  
"Hm. Hermione! Remember when we were in that first room- the one where we got drunk- or was that the second?'  
  
"Second, Ron."  
  
"Well, anyway, I remember I was really drunk, and remember how we were turning things like rocks into- well, we were aiming for chairs, remember?"  
  
"Right!" Hermione stood up, remembering, "The key! The green key! Does it fit?" Ron shrugged and tore into his bookbag, searching for the green key he had stowed in there from before.  
  
Hermione leaned back on her feet, "But, how could you make a green key that would fit this door?" Ron shrugged, still looking.  
  
"Maybe it was already there, we just didn't notice it. We weren't really with out wits in that room, now were we. Not like you ever are."  
  
"Hey, I can still hear you, you know." Hermione smiled and Ron pulled out the key, brandishing it as if it were a mighty sword.  
  
"Ok, try it, try it!" Ron took a step forward and put the key in and turned it. And, unexpectedly, it actually worked.  
  
"Yes!" Ron jerked open the door and was blinded by the amount of light that flowed over them.  
  
They both shielded their eyes against the hot sun that they hadn't seen all the while they had been down here. They staggered back a moment and then put their arms down. Hermione looked at Ron and smiled.  
  
"We're out!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Author Notes:  
  
References:  
  
1) Pensieve: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Dumbledore's Office  
  
2) ".a statue of an old witch with a rather large wart on her nose that was on the 2nd floor and towards the west wing." The witch's name is  
  
3) Deorsum: It means 'going down' in Latin  
  
4) Padma's stupid muggle beeper toy: A Muggle alarm clock, for those of you who didn't understand  
  
5) Sobrietus: 'Sober' in Latin  
  
6) "I'm quite alright, thank you."  
  
"Did you just say alright?"  
  
"Embarrassingly, yes.": Idea from CassandraClaire's Draco Veritas  
  
7) The Apple Scene: Idea from Wizard Of Oz  
  
8) Nightmare Grass: Plant idea from CassandraClaire's Draco Sinister  
  
9) The phobia list:   
  
10) The Future riddle: Found it on a riddles website  
  
11) The Obstacle Course: That was my friend, Brittany's idea.  
  
Art:  
  
The magazine cover is done by Alicey.  
  
Marcus Flint, Ron, by Thrasia  
  
Professor Dumbledore was drawn by Silene Acaulis.  
  
Draco Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy were drawn by Drakkhen  
  
LaylaWren drew Blaise Zabini  
  
Parvati was drawn by Kacchan  
  
Geekish drew Hermione  
  
Lavender by Amethyst  
  
Crabbe and Goyle by SeverelySnaped  
  
Thanks to:  
  
Brittany, for offering creativity and being my second beta-reader  
  
My Beta-Reader: HermyoninyMalfoy  
  
Sarah, for the ending idea  
  
Alicey Thrasia, Silene Acaulis, SeverelySnaped, Drakkhen, LaylaWren, Geekish, Amethyst, for the drawing  
  
Whoever- or whatever I got the title from, I don't remember.  
  
And lastly, J.K. herself, after all, I wouldn't be able to write this without her, now would I? 


End file.
